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Bank officer loses job for fraud


Published : 19 Jul 2022 10:20 PM | Updated : 20 Jul 2022 03:27 PM

Md Sujanur Rahman, son of a former BNP leader Md Motiar Rahman, hailing from Pativila village under Chaugachha Upazila of Jashore district, worked as an officer of private commercial bank Mutual Trust Bank (MTB). But he was allegedly involved in various types of crime.

He was allegedly involved in illegally depositing customer’s funds to his own account, cheating various customers, fraudulence in the name of giving jobs in banking sector and   other criminal activities.

After more than one- year- long investigation, his involvement in criminal activities was revealed and finally the MTB dismissed Sujanur Rahman from his job.

On  January 11 in 2015,Md Abul Kashem, son of late Shahadat Hossain , hailing from Pobhati village under Jhenidah Sadar  Upazila filed a case against Sujanur Rahman in connection with embezzling Tk 66,35,450.

According to the court documents, victim Kashem and Sujanur Rahman hailed from the same area. They were familiar with each other.    

Sujanur Rahman took loan of Tk 66,35,450 from Kashem in 2015. He promised to return the money within two months. But Sujanur Rahman made inordinate delay in refunding the money. At one stage, Sujanur Rahman gave cheques of Mutual Trust Bank’s  Jashore Branch for paying Tk 66,35,450.

The bank cheque number was MTV/SB8724511 and account number of the cheque was A/C-0490310003674. Victim Kashem deposited the cheque on July 9 in 2015. But the cheque was dishonoured due to insufficient funds in the accounts of Sujanur Rahman.

The bank authorities also informed that the signature of account holder Sujanur Rahman did not match.

According to a senior officer of a leading private bank, it is a criminal offence to issue bank cheque without having sufficient funds in the account.

On condition of anonymity, the bank official further said, if you knowingly give a different signature in the cheque and the signature is mismatched with the record of the bank’s data, it’s also an unlawful act.

In the cheque dishonor case, a Jhenidah district court issued warrant against Sujanur Rahman. However, he managed to avoid arrest by reaching compromise with Kashem. A local BNP leader acted as mediator, said local sources.

Not only cheating Kashem, Sujanur Rahman also cheated two other customers in August,2017.

Sujanur Rahman was working as a cash officer at the Motijheel Corporate Branch. On August 28 in 2017, two customers came to the branch for depositing Tk 10 lakh to their accounts. But Sujanur Rahman deposited the Tk 10 lakh to his own account secretly. Later these two customers complained to the senior officials of the Mutual Trust Bank.

After investigation, the management of the bank found the allegation against Sujanur Rahman true. Later he was placed under temporary suspension. But for mysterious reasons, the bank authorities did not take proper action against Sujanur Rahman despite gross violation of the MTB Code of Conduct No 4.2/a.

As a result, he continued his criminal activities.

A close friend of Sujanur Rahman told that using fake certificate Sujanur Rahman got the job in the Mutual Trust Bank in nexus with some allegedly corrupt officials of HR Department of the bank’s head office.

In this regard, one Tariqul Islam wrote a letter to private Darul Ihsan University to verify the certificate of Sujanur Rahman. In response, Controller of Examination of the university, whose operation is currently closed following High Court verdict, said, he could not give opinion about the originality of the certificate of Sujanur Rahman as the certificate was neither issued from the main campus , nor the permanent campus.

 The MutualTrust Bank authorities on February 23 this year dismissed Sujanur Rahman from services of MTB.

This correspondent also obtained the confidential letter of the MTB, which was signed by Masud Mushfiq Zaman, Group Head of Human Resources.

Talking to the Bangladesh Post on July 14, he verified the document.

According to the bank document, Sujanur Rahman submitted medical test report of Popular Diagnostic Center on September 17 in 2021 to the bank claiming that he was found Dengue Positive. However, the bank authorities did a random verification and sent the report to the Popular Diagnostic Center. 

 Popular Diagnostic Center on December 15 in 2021 confirmed that the medical report was incorrect and fabricated.

The investigation officer of the MTB also physically visited Popular Diagnostic Center on December 28 in 2021, where he found that the test result was Negative in the record of the Popular Diagnostic Center.

Later the MTB authority dismissed Sujanur Rahman from services of bank with effect from February 23 in 2022.

About the various allegations against him, Sujanur Rahman, who claimed himself as an editor of a daily newspaper, denied all allegations against him while talking on July 18 this year. 

Around one year earlier, he and his friend, who introduced himself as a leader of the ruling party backed student organization Bangladesh Chatra League,  gave this correspondent death threat over phone.

Talking to the Bangladesh Post on July 18, victim Md Abul Kashem, who now Chaugachha Sadar Union Parishad Chairman said that he came to know that Sujanur took money from many people in the name of giving jobs. But he had no evidence in this regard.

About the case he filed against Sujunur, Kashem, also the general secretary of Chaugachha Sadar Union unit Awami League  said, Sujanur gave him only Tk 21 lakh out of Tk 66,35,450.  

About Sujanur’s father’s political link, Kashem said, his father Motiar was president of local union unit of BNP.  

About punishment against  Sujanur, the Mutual Trust Bank’s Managing Director & CEO Syed Mahbubur Rahman, said, after getting complain, we first referred the matter to the Disciplinary Committee of our bank and after its investigation, we dismissed him.

About other serious allegations against Sujanur, MTB boss Sayed Mahbubur said, I was not in the bank that time.

Anis A. Khan was the  Managing Director & CEO of Mutual Trust Bank when Sujanur allegedly  embezzled 10 lakh from two customers and Tk 66,35,450 from businessmen Abul Kashem.

Around one year back, Bangladesh Post first  communicated with Anis A. Khan to verify the allegation against Sujanur.

He then had said, so far I can remember, we took action against him and informed the Bangladesh Bank about the action taken  against Sujanur.

This correspondent on July 18 again attempted to communicate  with Anis A Khan to know why such a corrupt bank officer was given a light punishment of temporary suspension. 

In response, the veteran banker said, the disciplinary committee works independently and then it goes to the audit committee and goes to the board of the bank.

He however, gave hints that some quarters worked in favour of the corrupt bank officer.

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